A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an abnormal communication between the right and the left ventricle of the heart in the form of a hole in the septum, which can lead to ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Illustrations comparing a normal heart septum with a heart that suffers from a ventricular septal defect are provided in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ventricular septal defect is the most common congenital cardiac defect and cause of death in infants under one year.
Current therapies for closure of ventricular septal defects have inherent limitations. Surgical techniques are invasive and require cardiopulmonary bypass [K. G. Shann, “Complications relating to perfusion and extracorporeal circulation associated with the treatment of patients with congenital heart disease: consensus definitions form the Multi-societal Database Committee for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease,” 18 Cardiol. Young 206-214 (2008)]. In an effort to reduce the invasiveness of the procedure, catheter-based (percutaneous) interventions have become available but face major challenges due to limitations of delivery and securing devices inside the beating heart. Most percutaneous devices are composed of fragile metal frames and rely on mechanical means of gripping tissue which can cause injury to critical structures, such as heart valves, or the conduction system and tissue erosion (Shann).